“When it’s hard to compel someone to sell something, you need to put money on the table,” said Benjamin Godsill, an art adviser watching the sale. “The headline for me is, keep calm and carry on. There is still a market, even if there weren’t fireworks.” The sale drew a total of $US406.4 million, on estimates of $US344.5 million to $US430 million. It included a new benchmark for painter Agnes Martin, whose 1961 Grey Stone II went for $US18.7 million – the estimate was $US6 million to $US8 million – in a bidding war between gallerists and collectors in the...